AND WESTLAND OBSERVER. FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 1869.

West Coast Times, Issue 1083, 12 March 1869, Page 2

AND WESTLAND OBSERVER. FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 1869.

We learn from the news to hand, ppre r Alhambra, that the Duke of Edin burgh purposed leaving Melbourne on the 6th or thereabouts, as he wished to time his arrival so as to laud on the 12th, tho anniversary of the day when he so narrowly escaped assassiuation. During his visit to Melbourne, people seem to have behaved themselves with moderation, aud did not mado idiots of themselves, as on tho last occasion. No doubt the young* Prince is infinitely more at his ease in being thus received with a cordial, but not an exuberant welcome, than he Avas last year when he was toadied, flattered, addressed, feted, bespattered with adulation, and all but worshipped. He has been treated as a distinguished guest but as a private gentleman notwithstanding ; aud, from what

vo can learn, in that latter capacity he has enjoyed himself immensely. Whether the good sense r hnt the Victorians have shown wil] •liarac'U J ri?e the community of New South Wales remains to be seen ; but t is to be hoped that in New Zealand he Royal visitor will be met in the nine manner, and whilst wishing iim in :il! sincerity ten thousand welcomes, the colonists of this part of her .Majesty's dominions may nor, go mad, and become loyally insane. It is positively settled that the Prince shall vis-it Wellington, Canterbury, and Otngo> and it is to be hoped that he will cross the island from Christchurch to Hokitika before finally leaving the former place. People are generally under the impi*ession that this is actually arranged, ! >ut a greater mistake could not be 'na.de ; for though it is possible it may occur without further exertion on the part of the Hokitikians, it is just sis likely that unless some means are taken to present an invitation, he will rest satisfied with what he sees on the Canterbury Plains, and that Westland Avill not have the honor of his presence at all. There can be little doubt, if proper steps are taken, that he will bo induced to come over the ranges, but if this is left to chance, the odds are rather against than for his coming. If the excellence of the road, the magnificence and the grandeur of the scenery were set out in the invitation, an adventurous mind like his would gladly embrace the opportunity of witnessing it. By travelling from Christchurch to Hokitika. he would be enabled to form a better opinion as to the resources and capabilities of New Zealand, its geographical features, and the enterprise of its inhabitants than he could gather from any other journey he con Id undertake. He would traverse the island, in the first place having proof of the agricultural and pastoral wealth of the eastern side of the country ; next, of the ruggedness of the ranges; and on descending the western portion, the enterprise, industry, and energy of the inhabitants, and the abundance of its mineral resources. ,It would be a matter of sincere regret if, through any inadvertence or neglect on tho part of the authorities here, the Duke's expected visit did not come off. Not that in the least degree they should beg and pray, but if a simple straightforward invitation was sent, we have no doubt it would be accepted. At the same time, too, we should be sorry to see the population here, if he does visit us, turn positively crazy in consequence, but we should desire in common with every loyal subject, that t'.ie Queen's son should be welcomed cordially and heartily, with a true mining welcome — alike destitute of sycophancy or flunkeyisrn, in^a manner, in fact, -honorable alike to the guest and his entertainers. To do this will naturally require preparation, but up to the present time no such preparation has been made, no committee has been chosen, and r.-- r.etion whatever has been ta 1 -^:-. If the Prince lands afc Sydney, ■ '■■:< arranged, his stay will probably iv">;. exceed a fortnight at most, and at the end of this month, or the first week in April the Galatea will be at Wellington. His stay there will be but '

short, and then Canterbury is next on the list. Altogether there is little, if any, more than a month to make the requisite arrangements and forward the invitation. It has been suggested that a deputation should wait on him on arrival, and personally

request the favor of a visit. The mode of invitation Avill bo a matter for the Committee's decision, but that it will be needed to ensure Ids coming, we have good reason to believe. We trust, therefore, the public will take the matter into consideration forthwith, and that no pains may be spared to induce the Sailor Prince to remember with ple&surc his visit to the golden West Coast of the Middle Island in the Colony of New Zealand.

Judging from the telegrams published in another column there can be little doubt that at length the Colony is fairly committed to a general native war, and that the worst fears on this head are about to bo realised. Till vow only a few insurgents have given trouble, but the few original rebels have gradually tainted a very large portion of the native population, aud the result is seen in the impending trouble. What the end will be, should matters turn out as badly as expected, cannot be even guessod at, but it is certain that ruin to a large portion of the Northern settlers must ensue, and, though we certainly do not anticipate that the Maori threat of driving* the Pakeha. into the sea will be exactly carried out, still the limits of settlement will be so circumscribed as almost to annihilate the prospects of that portion of the Colony. Instead of our having a few hundred men to fight ;ig;iin*t, the Maoris will, in case of war, turnout, by thousands, and where the Colonial force to withstand this savage torrent c;in be mustered, we are ut a loss to asci'itain. The Colony is told rh:it it has to li^lit if.-; own battles, and if a "ytirrul war breaks our, loaded, indeed bowed down, with debt as New Zealand is at present, we cannot for the life of us see how this can be done. Houses, laud.*;, fi.rins, aud cultivation of all kinds will fall into the hands of the Maori ; and the labour of years, the reward of long and patient toil will be swept away from the unfortunate settler who placed faith in the honor and die protection of the Imperial Government. At present it is scarcely possible to realise such a calamity as a general ri>ing of the Maori race will he, should it take place, but it is easy to tell that a fearful page of disaster will in that case be written in New Zealand history. As stated in the telegram, the King and his following are fully prepared for the struggle, whilst the colonists are not. Possibly it might have been further deferred, had not the rebels obtained so many and such signal advantages at the outset ; but now they have measured our strength, or rather ascertained our weakness, have discovered that we need not look to Englaud for succour, and very wisely consider that a more favorable moment for the execution of their long*-clierished designs could notoffer. There is one point in having reference to the war which wo should like to sec cleared up, and it is a matter which concerns every one in New Zealand, in connection with the militia question. It is certain, if the general war docs break out, that militia will be called out in force ; and the next question comes, are the residents in the Middle Island liable to serve in the North ? Although we have the straits between us, the two islands are portions of the same colony, and when the colony, or at least a very large portion of it, is jeopardised, it may be that militia can be transferi*ed from one part to the other, whether they like it or not. We hardly think that it is legal, but it may be so, aud in such a case it will be exceedingly satisfactory to Westlanders, or other people in the Middle Island, to have to fight for the North, with an exceedingly good chance of being tomahawked, and perhaps afterwards served up a la : ito Kowaru. That extraordinary exertions would be needed to confront the danger is evident, anol whether or not the residents in this portion of New Zealand are, or are not, liable in person as well as purse is a problem that many would gladly see solved. In common with all, we wait with no small anxiety for the confirmation or contradiction of the news in question.

The Ross monthly escort, in charge of Sergeant Wilson, arrived in town yesterday at 2.30 p.m., bringing up 3000oz. of gold, consigned to the New Zealand, New South Wales, and Union Banks.

The Greymouth coach left town yesterday at noon, for its destination, with the following passengers f or the Grey :— Mesdames Sutton, Kilgour, M'Myn, and Mr Jones. For the Teremakau — Miss Judd. The down coach arrived at 5.15 p.m., with one wayside.

Tho b.s. Hero, which was placed on the line between Auckland, Sydney, and Melbourne, a few months ago, has met with such a liberal amount of support, that another steamer, the Blackbird, of about the same size as the Hero, has been put into the same trade. The Auckland papers strongly advocate a small subsidy being paid to these steamers to bring over the Auckland portion of the Suez mail, leaving the South Island and Wellington to be served by way of the Bluff g# heretofore,, instead vi by a steamer

direct to Wellington. This latter plan pleases Auckland as little as n ime din.

c are given to understand that Messrs Rees, Pocock, and Hoos have made application for 120 Government heads of water : the supply to he derived from the Mokinui river, in the Totara district.

The Chairman of the County Council, accompanied by Inspector Broham, left town yesterday for Okarito. We belive the object of Mr Hoos's visit is to make himself thoroughly conversant with the requirements of that district.

A case of extreme cruelty to a child, perpetrated by its inhuman parents, was brought to light yesterday. The little boy, who is nine years old, is the son of Thomas Park, Hampden-street, and it appears that ho had been tempted by a companion to steal some money from the Sir Henry Barkly Hotel. On hearing of this offence having been committed by his son, tho unnatural father put him in an empty room, and tied him up with a chain on the arms and legs. This took place on Tuesday, since which time until yesterday the poor little fellow had been given only a crust or two of bread and a little water. He was also stripped naked, and was unable to sit or lie down. On being liberated by Sergeant O'Donnel the marks of tho chain were found to have mado a deep indentation in his flesh, and he was very weak, owing to the severe treatment he had received. The only excuse given by the parents was that the boy was very contumacious, and they had thought to cure him by the present kind of punishment. We are not aware if the authorities intend taking proceedings against the father of the child ; but we should imagine he deserves condign punishment.

The accounts of the diggings down south received by the steamship Waipara, are more encouraging than was the case on her previous visit. The business people about Hunt's and Gillespie's Beaches appear to be well satisfied with the state of mining in that localityAt the Haast River, Donald Bell and party are apparently contented, but are very reticent as to the returns they obtain. There are now seven men and one woman at the Haast. Howard and his mate are at Smoo fhwater Bay, and report that they are m.-ikinjr tucker. A party, consisting of Myers, Californian Bill, and others, are prospecting the country about Jackson, and Barn Bays. They have six months' provisions, and are sanguine of striking payable gold. At Big Bay, the men reported themselves all well, and plenty of provisions ; they were also getting a little gold. Two Maories passed through Jackson's on the 3rd instant. They had come overland from Otago, via Lake Wakatipu. and Hector's pass. They reported that a number of miners, supposed to have come from Otago, were at work on the terraces at Martin's Bay. Thesa Maoris spoke very indifferent English, and it could not be ascertained whether the men were on payablegold or not. It was, however, understood that a good deal of ground had been turned over.

Although the s.s. Waipara was unable to touch at many of the ports down south, yet she ascertained that the diggers were amply snpplieii with provisions at all places except Barn Bay. At this place the inhabitants could be seen on the beach, but communication was impossible. This is the more to be regretted, as it is known that the people are entirely dependent on the Waipara's visits for a supply of provisions. It is, therefore, to be hoped that on the return of the County Chairman from Okarito, that some steps will be taken to ascertain if these meu are wanting provisions or not. Now that there is a chance of the known resources of the southern seaboard being developed, every encouragement should be given to the pioneers. The impression is, from the gestures of the people on the beach, that they have very little provision in stock.

The s.s. Waipara, on her present trip from the South, brought up 5040zs of gold for the Bank of New . Zealand, au;l 2350zs for the Union Bank. :

The usual- monthly wet practice of the Fire Brigade was held last night, under the command of Lieutenant Hudson. The engine was taken td the river at the foot of Wharfstreet, and'the hose having been run out as far as the Criterion Hotel, through the Swan right-of-way, an hour's good practice was taken. Everything connected with the engine proved to be in excellent order, and a strong jet of water was thrown over the surrounding buildings. The order being given to " make uy," everything was again in a short space of time en regie, and the engine and hose reel was taken to the engine house. A meeting, called by requisition, was afterwards held by the members, at which Captain Macfarlane presided. The object of the meeting was to re-consider a motion passed at the last meeting in reference to the removal of the Brigude-hall. It was proposed by Lieut, Hudson, and seconded by Volunteer Keast, " That the removal of the building would interfere with the efficient working of the Brigade." The motion was carried. An amendment had been previously put to the meeting by Volunteer Woodside, seconded by Volunteer Victoi-, "That the resolution passed at the previous meeting be adhered to," but was lost. It was further agreed that the resolution arrived at by the present meeting be forwarded to the Borough Council for their consideration. A vote of thanks to the Chairman terminated the proceedings.

During the hearing of a charge against Ah Ghoong, a Chinaman, at Sandhurst, Mr Shiress, assayer at the Bank of New South Wales, gave some very interesting evidence respecting the manufacture of spurious gold by the Celestials. He says (reports the Independent) that they were in the habit of purchasing books of gold-leaf from the painters, and making lead into a granulated form, which they covered with gum water, and then shook it up in a bottle or bag with the gold-leaf, turning out to all appearance, in tho words of the prisoner, " welly good gold."

The London correspondent of the Melbourne Argus supplies the following particulars concerning the shipment of salmon ova to Dunediu by the ship Mendora, which we find sailed from Gravesend on the 29 th December last : — " A beautiful collection of about 110,000 salmon ova, and 5000 sea-trout ova will go out to the colony. They were procured from the Severn, the Tyne, the Tweed, the Usk, and the Screeb ; they are, apparently, very successfully packed in ice and irc«h most, in 212 boxes ; and the ve?*«l

was kindly detained a week that the task might be properly accomplished. An admirable letter in the Times of December 30, from the pen of Mr J. A. Youl, describes the process by which the ova were obtained and the succession of difficulties that had to be encountered and overcome."

Mr Westgarth's circular contains some interesting particulars relative to the public debts of the various Australian colonies. The statement purports to be corrected to December, 1868. The total authorised of New South Wales is £9,345,330, of which £514,200 has been paid off, leaving au outstanding indebtedness of £8,83 1 ,130. Victoria authorised, £10,753,100; paid off £1,120,000; outstanding, £9,663,100. South Australia, authorised, £2,430,300; paid off, £461,300; not issued, £41 1 ,000 ; outstanding, £, 1 ,568,000 ; Queensland authorised, £3,721,168— a1l outstanding. Tasmania, £1,373,000; paid off, £300,000; £1,073,900. New Zealand authorised, £10,650,000; paid off, £3,223,900; outstanding, £6,101,200, exclusive of nearly £700,000 outstanding debts duo by tho several provinces.

The Colonial Office has adopted the wholesome rule of "no trust " in tho matter of knighthood fees. There is something very significant in the hint conveyed by the Duke of Buckingham and Chaudos, that prepayment is a sine qua non. His Grace writes to the Earl of Belmoro :—": — " lam further to acquaint you that Her Majesty has been pleased to sanction the grant of the dignity of knighthood to Mr James Martin and Mr T. A. Murra} r . The patent in these cases will proceed through the Home Office as soon as it shall have been intimated by those gentlemen respectively, through you, by whom the necessary charges will be paid. They will amount to about .£lls in each case."

" Pilgarlick Patience " writes a very amusing letter to the Hawke's Bay Herald; from which the following is an extract :—" I have the honor to belong to Her Majesty's Bth Company of the Napier Militia. lam what people here somewhat flippantly call a new chum, and have only recently been enrolled in the abovenamed distinguished portion of Her Majesty's forces. I have, unhappily for my own peace of mind, little of the darelevil in me, but have a considerable regard for my own personal safety. Bine ilia lachryma. After about two drillings, I was> with the whole Napier force, marched to the top of the hill, with a band of music playing Before this I had on a previous drill been ordered to • form fours.' I leave } T our readers to judge of the absurdity of a command of this kind without a word of previous explanation. We were ordered to 'shoulder arms,' and now mark the next command, ' fix bayonets.' Yes, sir, ' fix kiyonets,' at • shoulder arms !' Shade of Wellington, have pity on us 1 Now, sir, I'm coming to my troubles. Let us return to the hill where we are formed in line.' « With blank cartridge load.' I must hear remark that ray rear rank man was Private Muzzle. Muzzle informed me in confidence over a pint of beer, that he never fired off a p'ecc before. Of course every man lor.Jiu nnr way he could — some right, but aiar, ! ih<- f:.r greater proportion any way but. afr-oivKng- to rule. Muzzle, with au obstinacy worthy of a better cause, would cap with hifi rifle's point just behind my right ear. The angle was a peculiar one, inclining a little upwards and towards the left. The consequences of an explosion (by no means improbable) would have been the loss of the writer's right ear, the abrasion of tho skull, the right lobe of the brain would have been entirely shattered, and tho dexter eye would have seen no more, and seven orphans would have been left to tho apocryphal guardianship of the State."

250 dozen eggs, which were originally intended to be shipped to Hokitika, were lately sold in Melbourne for 4s.